PH airlines out of EU blacklist

The European Commission last week released an updated list of airlines banned from operating in its airspace and it no longer includes Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific Air.

The statement, which cited improving safety standards in the Philippines, follows the “unanimous opinion” of the European Union’s Air Safety Committee, which met on Nov. 24 and Nov. 26 this year.

The decision also received a positive opinion from the European Parliament and from the Council of Ministers.

The updated EU air safety list includes all airlines certified in 21 states, for a total of 308 airlines banned from EU skies.

These states are Afghanistan, Angola, Benin, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon (except three airlines with restrictions and conditions), Indonesia (except five airlines), Kazakhstan (except one airline with restrictions and conditions), Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Libya, Mozambique, Nepal, Philippines (except Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific), Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sudan and Zambia.

PAL is the only domestic carrier with operations in Europe, as it revived operations there last year with flights from Manila to London.

Cebu Pacific has yet to outline any specific plans for Europe.

“We have not made a definitive decision on where to fly but we continue to study our network plans to explore our options as to the best way we can serve the one million Filipinos in the EU today,” Alex Reyes, general manager of Cebu Pacific’s long-haul division, said in a text message.

Violeta Bulc, EU Commissioner for Transport, said in the statement that he hoped improving safety prospects in certain countries would allow more carriers to expand in Europe.

“I am also pleased to see that progress has been made in a number of countries whose carriers are on list, notably the Philippines, Sudan, Mozambique and Zambia. Hopefully this progress can lead to a positive decision in the future,” Bulc said.